TravelZIN: 2015

What is the best time to visit Xi’an? Different people may have different answers depending on the attractions wanting to go. But generally, visitors like to travel when the weather is good, warm and comfortable. Then, the climate in general will be introduced and the concrete situation will be described one by one.

Xi’an is a city with four distinct seasons. It is cold in winter, with mild wind but a lot of fog. Rain and snow seldom fall down. It is warm, windy and dry in spring and the weather changes often. It is hot in summer and it rains often. It is cool in autumn and the temperature falls sharply in the season.

The average temperature of the whole year is about 13℃. It is about 0℃ in January, the coldest month, while it is about 26℃ in July, the hottest month. The lowest temperature is -21.2℃ while the highest one reaches 43. 4℃. The average rainfall of the whole year is about 600 mm, with the most ones in July and September.

In respect to physical comfort, spring is the best season to take a Beijing Xian one day tour and it lasts from March to May. Warm sunshine and soft wind will give you a wonderful experience. Moreover, flowers blossom from early spring to late spring, although the kind changes. In early spring, the weather changes often, thick coat is needed although it is warm. In middle spring, temperatures indoor and outdoor are so different that visitors are recommended to bring a thin coat. And in late spring, the sunshine is intense outdoor, ladies are recommended to bring a sunshade.

Summer lasts from June to August. And because it is so hot, outdoor visit is almost impossible. But it is a good time for museums and mountains. There are air-conditions in every museum and the temperature on the mountain is the most comfortable in early summer.

The temperature in autumn is also proper for outdoor visiting, but it is better to avoid the golden week, that is, the first week of October. It is so crowded in the week, not only in the attractions, but also in the vehicles. It may be needed 1 hour to enter the subway entrance after getting down from high-speed railway, just an example.

Winter ranges from December to February and it is so cold in the season. It is unfit for outdoor visiting, but travelers choose to ski and take a bath in hot spring. There are big skiing resorts in Xi’an, for example, Cuihua Mountain Skiing Resort, Bai Luyuan Skiing Resort and Fengyu Zhuangyuan Skiing Resort. And there are so many hot springs around Xi’an.

The following is the average temperature of every season:

Season	Spring	Summer	Autumn	Winter
The highest temperature (average temperature every day)	14℃	30℃	25℃	8℃
The lowest temperature (average temperature every day)	4℃	18℃	16℃	-1℃
Average precipitation	27mm	72mm	78mm	13mm

The average temperature of each month is:

Month	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
The highest (℃)	5	8	14	21	26	32	32	31	25	19	12	6
The lowest (℃)	-4	-1	4	9	14	19	22	21	16	10	3	-3

April 25, 2015 No comments

It is 1079.2 kilometers from Beijing to Xi’an and it takes about 12 hours to drive to the destination. There are also long distance buses, which departs at about 17:30 and the whole journey takes more than 17 hours. The bus arrives in the next morning. That is say, the bus is overnight bus and the safety factors should be considered. One can also walk, which takes 221 hours. But it is only for reference, no one really walks from Beijing tours to Terracotta Warriors.

But now the distance is not counted by kilometers, but by the time spent on the journey. So, it is a 2-hour-journey by plane plus one and a half hours to the destination, a 5-hour-journey by high-speed train plus one hour to the scenic spot and a night trip by common train plus one hour to the attraction.

At present, the transportation between Beijing and Xi’an is so convenient that one can easily make a day tour to Xi’an from Beijing and return to Beijing the same day. And there are so many choices. The best routes are introduced in previous questions. The following will be the less chosen routes.

K4217 is the cheapest one with only hard seats and soft seats, which takes RMB 83.5 and RMB 141.5 respectively. The journey is undesirable because it takes 22 hours for the whole journey and one has to get on the train at mid-night. It means that one has to get up at mid-night or wait in the waiting room for half a night. Moreover, the arrival time is 2:03 in mid-night. There is no overnight public transportation, and the taxi will be the only choice. To add up, a hotel is needed for the rest of the night. So, although it is the cheapest one in ticket price, it ends the worst one and the journey will ruin the tour totally.

Moreover, other trains departing at mid-night or arriving at mid-night should be avoided. Because there are no overnight plane and overnight high-speed train, the problem referred above do not exist.

Considering the problem of visiting Terracotta Warriors and Horses the same day and make full use of the rest day, airplane and common trains are the best choices. Moreover, ticket price should be included. From the above 3 factors, the best routes will be listed.

Take the first flight CA1203 to Xi’an, visit Terracotta Warriors and Horses from Beijing in the morning and leave the rest day for attractions in the downtown of Xi’an, for example, the Ancient City Wall, Big Goose Pagoda, the Muslim Quarter, Shaanxi History Museum or visit Huaqing Hot Spring or Banpo Neolithic village around Xi’an. And from the ticket price, the first flight is usually the cheapest.

For overnight trains, T231, Z43 and Z19 are three best ones. There are another advantage of taking trains, that is, there is direct public bus to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, which costs only RMB 7.

April 23, 2015 No comments

February 11, 2015 1 comments

If you have a layover of about 7 hours in Beijing then you should make use of that time and book a layover tour to see the world's greatest attraction – the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China can be accessed from several points along its length where it has been made possible to climb up to the top of the Wall. Layover tours from Beijing Capital Airport to the Great Wall visit the Mutianyu section of the Wall which is not only one of the best places to visit along the Wall it is also the closest section of the Wall to the Beijing Airport. Mutianyu has been faithfully restores and there are easy walking conditions and fewer crowds than other parts of the Wall. The Mutianyu section is 2.2km long and has 23 guard towers evenly spaced along the top of the Wall.

The Mutianyu section of the Wall has a large parking lot not far from the Wall where cars and tour buses park. If it is possible your tour guide will take you as close as possible to the Wall otherwise you will park in the car park and take the shuttle bus up to the entrance of the Mutianyu section. There are two ways to reach the top of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. The easiest and fastest (and the way usually chosen by those on a layover tour) is by cable car. There are efficient cable cars which run up to the top of the Wall. Others choose to take a chair lift up to the top of the Wall.

Walking along the top of the Wall you will experience steep steps, slopes and straighter sections. You can enter the guard towers and even leave your mark on the wall as new graffiti boards have now been added for visitors. Although most of the Wall has been fully restored you can see sections which have been left untouched like that near Tower 1. Looking down from the Wall there are hills covered with trees and at several places along the Wall plants and shrubs have overgrown the Wall. Before arriving in Beijing you can talk to your tour guide and decide how long you want to spend at the Wall and what you would like to see depending on how much time you have.

To come down the Wall you could take the cable car, the chair lift or if you have time and are in good physical condition take an incredible 1580 meter toboggan ride all the way down! There are certain restrictions for those wanting to use the toboggan ride. If you are on a layover tour the best option is the easier and faster cable car. If you are elderly, sick, pregnant or a child under 10 years old or 130cm you cannot take the toboggan ride.

At the end of your visit you can descend to the base of the Wall where there are rest rooms and several stalls selling souvenirs. Your driver will take you swiftly back to the airport at the end of your trip to the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall.

To learn more about Beijing airport layover trip, TA review will be very helpful:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294212-d3922875-Reviews-Beijing_Airport_Layover_Tours_Mutianyu_Great_Wall_Private_One_day_Tour-Beijing.html

January 23, 2015 No comments

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